Shopify B2B: Features, costs and wholesale fit (2026)

By Justin Rashidi

Shopify B2B lets you sell to business customers with company accounts, buyer-specific catalogs, payment terms and reordering built into Shopify. On April 2, 2026, Shopify extended its core B2B features to Basic, Grow and Advanced at no extra charge, alongside Plus.

Our view: Shopify is a strong option when your wholesale orders fit its account and catalog rules. The harder decision comes when buyers need complex approvals, contract pricing or connections to their purchasing systems.

This guide is for owners and e-commerce, sales and operations leads at manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers and brands. For help planning or running a wholesale store, see our B2B e-commerce marketing agency services.

Which Shopify plans include B2B?

Basic, Grow, Advanced and Plus include B2B. Starter and Retail do not. The differences in B2B features by plan matter more than whether a plan carries the B2B label.

The wholesale basics are included

All four supported plans include:

• • Companies, company locations and location permissions.
• • Quantity rules, volume price breaks and net payment terms.
• • Reorders, purchase order numbers and draft orders.

"Included" means available to configure for your business. Your accounts, prices and order rules still need setting up.

What changes as you move up

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Markets groups buyers so each group can have its own products and prices. Advanced and Plus can customize the B2B storefront and checkout through Markets.

On Basic, Grow and Advanced, catalogs use new Shopify Markets; direct catalog assignment to a company or location requires Plus.

The three-catalog allowance covers all B2B markets combined. It does not reset for each market.

Example: A fictional supplier assigns two active catalogs to its US B2B market and one to Canada. That uses all three; a fourth catalog for another buyer group exceeds the allowance, even in a new market.

What this means for you: Advanced adds ways to tailor the buying experience, but it does not increase the catalog allowance. More than three active catalogs or direct company assignment makes Plus the relevant native option.

How does a wholesale order work in Shopify?

Shopify B2B commerce starts with the buyer's company location. That choice determines which products, prices and terms apply to the order.

The account identifies who can buy

A company is the business account. Its locations hold addresses, tax settings and payment terms, while contacts are the people buying for those locations.

• • Ordering only: The contact can buy and view their own orders.
• • Location admin: The contact can also view other contacts' orders at that location and update its addresses.

These roles control access; they do not create an approval chain inside the buyer's business. Sales should own contact accuracy, finance the terms, and operations the shipping locations.

Catalog rules decide the price

A catalog can apply a percentage adjustment across prices and fixed prices to individual products. Under the catalog pricing rules, a fixed price overrides the percentage adjustment.

Example: A fictional supplier lists an item at US$100 and gives a catalog a 20% reduction. Most items follow that reduction, but an item with a fixed US$85 price stays at US$85; it becomes neither US$80 nor US$68.

When catalogs overlap:

• • Among catalogs assigned directly to the same location, the lowest base price wins, before quantity rules or volume breaks are considered.
• • The winning catalog supplies that variant's quantity rules and price breaks. Equal lowest prices use the catalog created first.
• • A location's directly assigned catalog takes priority over its market catalog for the same product, even if the location price is higher.

Pack sizes and price breaks apply per variant

Quantity rules can set minimums, maximums and purchase increments. Volume pricing allows up to 10 price breaks per product, applied to each variant, such as a size or color.

Example: A fictional wholesaler sells gloves in packs of 12, with a lower unit price from 120 units. Sixty medium and 60 large gloves make ten packs overall, but neither size reaches 120. The buyer needs 120 of one size to earn that variant's lower price.

Volume pricing also makes the price fixed, so the catalog's overall percentage adjustment no longer applies. That matters when sales expects a quantity break and a catalog reduction to stack.

Review and invoicing happen before collection

A company location can submit orders as drafts for your review. Staff can also create a draft, adjust a negotiated line price and send an invoice.

Assigning the B2B customer and location brings in their prices, terms and checkout settings. This works for sales-assisted orders without making the buyer rebuild the cart.

Net terms do not collect the money

Net 30 gives the buyer 30 days from the order date to pay. Payment is not automatically captured when the terms expire, even when a card is saved.

Example: A fictional buyer places a US$1,200 order on net 30, with no deposit. If they make no payment and finance takes no collection action, the full US$1,200 remains unpaid when the due date passes.

Buyers can pay through their account, and staff can charge a saved card manually. We would assign collections and overdue invoices to a named finance owner before launch.

What this means for you: Correct account data gets the buyer to the right price. Clear review and collection responsibilities get the order through to payment.

One store or a separate wholesale store?

The better choice depends on whether retail and wholesale share stock and staff. Changing store type later can mean rebuilding much of the setup.

A blended store keeps operations together

A blended store serves retail and business customers from one Shopify admin. We favor it when both groups buy similar products from the same stock and the same team manages orders.

The trade-offs are specific:

• • Inventory is shared and cannot be allocated by customer type.
• • Shipping and payment options are shared by default, though they can be customized.
• • Discounts eligible for "All customers" also reach B2B buyers.

Example: A fictional store runs a 10% promotion for all customers. An eligible B2B cart with a wholesale merchandise subtotal of US$800 falls to US$720, before shipping and tax. That is an extra US$80 reduction beyond the agreed wholesale prices.

A dedicated store separates the operation

A dedicated wholesale store has its own admin, storefront and inventory. It suits separate wholesale teams, distinct stock or a buying experience that needs to be kept apart from retail.

The cost is another setup to manage. Apps and integrations used in that store must be configured and paid for again.

Decide what visitors can see

You can restrict an entire dedicated store to signed-in B2B buyers. Catalogs can also limit product availability by buyer type, and the Trade theme can hide prices from logged-out visitors in a dedicated B2B store.

Page restrictions and a full login wall may need extra work. We would settle product visibility, page access and who can purchase before commissioning custom theme changes.

What this means for you: Shared stock and staff favor a blended store. Separate inventory and operating teams justify the extra work of a dedicated store.

What can't Shopify B2B do out of the box?

The common gaps are specialized ordering screens, formal quotes and buyer-side approvals. The right addition depends on the task your customers need to complete.

Spreadsheet ordering needs more than a variant list

The native quick order list lets buyers add several variants from a product page. A buyer uploading a CSV, a spreadsheet saved as plain rows of data, needs a different interaction.

Shopify also describes separate order forms, so we would not assume every bulk-order screen needs an app. CSV upload, file validation and the exact catalog-wide layout belong in the requirements.

As of October 2026, InstaOrders B2B/CSV Order Form lists its Basic Plan at US$6.99/month. It supports CSV order uploads, Shopify B2B prices and quantity rules, making it a relevant option for that gap.

Quotes and buyer approvals need different tools

Native draft orders cover negotiated prices and seller review. A formal quote workflow may also need buyer requests, revisions, expiry dates and conversion into an order.

As of October 2026, SparkLayer B2B & Wholesale lists:

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Growth includes up to 100 B2B orders per month; Pro includes up to 150. Both app vendors bill recurring charges every 30 days.

SparkLayer's company-user approval workflow requires Growth or higher. A limited user submits an order to the main account user for approval; shared shopping lists are also documented.

That single approval step does not establish support for several approvers, cost-center routing or spending thresholds. SparkLayer has its own account and ordering workflows, so its fit with your native Shopify B2B setup needs validation.

Give every addition a defined job

These are documented options, not a tested app shortlist for your store. An app that works for retail may behave differently when a company account signs in.

What this means for you: A small CSV-ordering gap can have a modest software fee. Quoting and approval tools can add much more, and their feature limits matter as much as their prices.

Which integrations and custom work need planning?

Some requirements extend beyond the storefront. We would treat these as separate work packages when evaluating a Shopify B2B e-commerce setup.

The ERP connection must carry B2B records

An ERP, or enterprise resource planning system, holds records such as stock, orders and invoices. Shopify offers direct integrations, integration services and custom connections, but some connectors do not fully support companies and catalogs.

A useful integration scope includes the company location, purchase order (PO) number, negotiated prices and payment terms. It also defines who fixes a rejected record and how the order resumes without being entered twice.

Our view: A connector is only useful if it carries your B2B records correctly. A generic claim that it "syncs customers and orders" leaves too much unanswered.

Complex buying rules need their own scope

Keep these requirements explicit in the proposal:

• • Formal negotiation: Quote versions, counteroffers and expiry rules beyond draft-order invoicing.
• • Multi-step buyer approvals: Routing by order value, department or cost center.
• • Shared requisition lists: Purchase lists used by a department or project.
• • Procurement connections: Punchout sends a shopping cart back to the customer's purchasing system. cXML and EDI are formats for exchanging purchasing documents between systems.
• • Contract pricing: Prices driven by the ERP, units of measure, freight or surcharges.
• • Company hierarchies: Parent accounts, buying groups and shared credit across locations.
• • Configured products: CPQ means configure, price, quote; it turns valid product options into a priced proposal.

These are requirements to prove individually. A PO number field does not connect to a customer's purchasing system, and a discounted draft order does not prove a product configurator works.

A custom storefront adds ownership

Headless means building the buyer-facing storefront separately from Shopify's commerce system. We would consider B2B headless commerce when a specific buying task justifies maintaining that extra software.

For your developer: Follow the B2B storefront requirements:

• • Pass the signed-in customer's access token and company location into product requests. The token identifies the authenticated buyer.
• • Set the buyer identity on the cart as well.
• • Verify the account's prices and product access throughout the order. Without the buyer context, the storefront uses base pricing and product availability.

What this means for you: Complex procurement and pricing can make integration work the deciding cost. Shopify is a weaker fit when the essential buying process depends on several additions your team cannot maintain.

How much does Shopify B2B really cost?

B2B features carry no separate fee on the supported Shopify plans. Your total still includes the plan, payment processing, any apps and the work needed to configure and connect them.

Current US platform prices

The US pricing page, checked on October 21, 2026 from a US IP, displayed these prices. Yearly figures are monthly equivalents billed annually, not month-to-month subscriptions.

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Shopify Plus pricing uses contract terms:

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Those totals are monthly fee multiplied by contract months. They exclude processing, apps and implementation, and assume the starting fee applies throughout the term.

Plus prices cover standard setups; a variable platform fee can apply to more complex businesses. The rate can differ for B2B and direct-to-consumer orders, so the contract needs to reflect your sales mix.

Budget beyond the subscription

We would separate a proposal into three parts:

• • Setup: Account and catalog migration, theme work, integrations, testing and staff training.
• • Ongoing software: Shopify, required apps, connector subscriptions and payment fees.
• • Ongoing support: Integration monitoring, fixes, price-list maintenance and future changes.

The app prices above cover software subscriptions. They do not establish a build or maintenance price for your business, and a separate wholesale store can repeat app and integration costs.

What this means for you: The cheapest plan is useful only if it fits your price lists and workflows. Compare the full yearly operating cost and the total contract commitment before choosing.

Shopify B2B order and checkout limits

These limits can rule out a setup even when its pricing and storefront look right.

Order size and checkout restrictions

The documented B2B order and checkout limits include:

• • 500 line items per order or draft order: More than 500 distinct products or variants makes the order fail. This is not a 500-unit limit.
• • No subscriptions or accelerated checkouts: Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay accelerated checkout options are unavailable.
• • No local delivery or pickup points at online checkout: Local delivery and pickup in store are available for staff-created B2B draft orders.

Apple Pay as a payment method is a separate distinction: business customers can use it to pay orders and invoices, while its accelerated checkout is unavailable. In a blended store with Apple Pay active, it is available for B2B orders without payment terms; Shop Pay remains incompatible.

Accounts, catalogs and gift cards

• • Customer accounts are required: Legacy accounts do not work for B2B. The standard sign-in uses a one-time code emailed to the buyer.
• • Plus still has a location limit: Each company location can have at most 25 catalogs, counting both market-assigned and directly assigned catalogs.
• • Gift cards at B2B checkout require Plus: They are off by default; the store or organization owner must request activation through Plus Support.

The location catalog cap still applies even though Plus has no overall catalog creation limit. More catalogs do not mean unlimited assignments to one account.

ACH has its own eligibility rules

ACH Direct Debit is a US bank-payment method through Shopify Payments. To use it:

• • The store must be in the US and accept USD.
• • It must have fulfilled more than 100 orders.
• • Its trial must be complete, with an active subscription and completed Shopify Payments identity verification.
• • The buyer must have a US bank account and pay in USD.

Payment can take up to four business days to process and can fail. Finance should not treat a pending bank payment as collected cash.

What this means for you: Order size, payment methods and buyer sign-in deserve an early decision. Finding a mismatch after the storefront is built makes an avoidable problem more expensive.

How to set up Shopify B2B

Most of the basic setup is configuration. The account and catalog data decide whether customers see the right commercial terms.

Build the account and pricing foundation

1. 1. Choose a blended or dedicated store with operations.
2. 2. Create companies and locations in Customers, then Companies, with addresses, tax settings, contacts and payment terms.
3. 3. Use new Shopify Markets for catalogs on Basic, Grow and Advanced. Activate B2B with Markets where required, and include company locations in the B2B market; an empty market cannot deliver B2B pricing.
4. 4. Build catalogs with prices, quantity rules and volume breaks. Assign them to the market, or directly to locations on Plus.

Prepare checkout and the people using it

1. 5. Activate customer accounts so buyers can sign in.
2. 6. Set terms and checkout options, including purchase order numbers and draft-order review where needed.
3. 7. Use Shopify Flow, Shopify's automation tool, for routine tasks such as payment reminders.
4. 8. Complete a full buyer order before inviting customers. Explain the sign-in change and name the staff handling questions, order review and collections.

What this means for you: A smaller first rollout gives sales, finance and operations a chance to resolve account and pricing errors before they affect every buyer.

Our view: Shopify B2B fit and final checks

Shopify B2B suits wholesale teams whose customers need account pricing, pack rules, repeat ordering and payment terms in a manageable storefront. Its strongest case is a buying process that uses those built-in tools with limited extra software.

Who should shortlist it

• • Basic, Grow or Advanced: Your active B2B catalogs fit within three, and market-based pricing covers your accounts.
• • Advanced: You also need B2B-specific storefront or checkout customization through Markets.
• • Plus: You need more catalogs, direct company assignment, deposits, partial payments or payment requests per fulfillment.

We would look elsewhere first if complex procurement, shared credit or several buyer approval stages are essential and you lack the budget or team to maintain the required additions. Compare the same buying process with BigCommerce B2B before settling on a platform.

Five checks before committing

Use one customer agreement from sales, payment rules from finance and an order with a shipping exception from operations. The final check should cover:

1. 1. The correct company location and buyer permissions.
2. 2. Agreed products, prices and quantity rules.
3. 3. Order review, invoicing and collection responsibility.
4. 4. The order reaching the ERP or order system correctly.
5. 5. A failed transfer and how the responsible team recovers it.

Record each gap, its owner and its cost in a requirements list. For how buyers find products and apply for an account, see our B2B e-commerce agency page.

What this means for you: A working order gives you a concrete reason to choose a plan or rule Shopify out. Need help identifying the requirement that decides your setup? Let's talk it through.

Frequently asked questions

Can staff still take orders by phone or email?

Yes. Staff can create a draft order for the B2B customer and company location, so the customer's prices and terms apply. They can then send an invoice for the buyer to complete.

Can one buyer order for several locations?

Yes, if the contact has access to those locations. The buyer selects a company location when signing in and sees that location's prices and terms.

Can existing retail customers become business accounts?

Yes. You can move a customer's order history into a company and location. Assign contacts and history carefully, especially when someone buys both personally and for their business.